MASSACRES OF BAKU: 20 YEARS PASSED

Aysor
Jan 13 2010
Armenia

It is 20 years already that Mrs. Sonya tries to forget this terrifying
day and the several months that followed it. They were drinking tea
with their family, she tells, when their Azerbaijani neighbor entered
their home hardly breathing and asked them to gather their staffs
and to leave the city quickly.

"Why?- I am asking her, and she keeps crying", – 80 year old Mrs.

Sonya told to the Aysor.am reporter and treated her a cup of tea.

On 13 January in 1990 the Armenian massacres in Baku started. On
January 19 when the Armenian massacres ended they announced an
emergency situation in Baku. The Soviet Army reached the capital city
when the violence against Armenian people had already finished and
no Armenian was left there in the city.

After 20 years Mrs. Sonya meets another Armenian neighbor who has
also escaped from the massacres in Baku.

Mrs. Anya was a professor of ethics in one of the colleges in Baku.

She says she will never forget the day when after classes she was
walking home calmly and saw a scene opening in front of her eyes in
the center of the city which horrified her.

"Thousands of Armenians were being loaded into the tracks and driven
away every day. There was an order to kill at least 30 Armenians from
each track. Today I do not even know how it happened that I stayed
alive", – told Mrs. Anya to the Aysor.am reporter through tears.

Then the two neighbors looked at each other, and said that today,
and especially today, they are not able to answer any question,
then they added that even on usual days they do not speak about that
horrible day. They remember it only by saying "Let the dog that killed
our kids be coursed."

While the refugee old women are sitting at home and try to forget the
disaster the younger generation hurries to the work, as they can’t
allow their grannies and grandpas to live with the pension only,
but deep in their hearts they have scars of massacres too.

"Yes, we do work everyday, we gain money, and try to survive somehow.

And you know, though in Baku our life was much better we have not
preserved any good memories", – told Asya who was hurrying to work.

On Garegin the massacres have left painful influence. It is 20 years
already that he is packing his bags, is going to the station and is
waiting for the bus which will take him to Khojalu "It didn’t arrive
today too. There is every kind of bus here, but none of them is taking
to Khojalu, I didn’t return home today too. But, never mind I will
go home tomorrow."